These days I've been working on rebuilding my wardrobe. As someone who sews a lot, I find it quite unusual to stand in front of the closet thinking I have nothing to wear. But the reality is I am left without lots of the clothes I used to wear - lots of things got worn out, some pieces I don't find as attractive as I used to, and the outfits I used to wear are mismatched now. It doesn't help the fact that my body changed so the favorite shape and siluette don't fit as good as they used to.
So I made a major closet purge few weeks ago and tossed or gave away lots of my garments. I mean, if I can't wear them, and they are taking up a lot of space, what's the point in having all these clothes?

Once I made space for new stuff, I starded wondering what kind of clothes I would like to have. Well, my style hasn't changed much over the time. I've always loved classical clothes that fits, and that has a simple shape. I love the looks of uniforms, combined with unusual details and a striking pattern. That was the clothes I've been sewing for years and felt good in it. And I don't want to change that. I would like to have an interesting and comfortable wardrobe that doesn't make me look neither too matrony nor too youthful, and that is office appropriate.

I've always loved wearing dresses, as I think I look my est in them, better than in skirts, and definitely much better than in pants. However, I've never had many winter dresses - I used to make them with sleeves which always felt quite uncomfortable (they limit the hands' movement range, if they are 3/4 sleeves I am often cold, and if they are long sleeves, they are often too wide for my liking). And so I used to wear skirts at winter. But the skirts would make me look too matroney too frequently. I think even more so now, due to current body proportions and my age.

So I opted for dresses with short sleeves or no sleeves at all, which I would wear with turtlenecks or shirth beneath. I've been thinking of the details I would like to incorporate, and realiyed I have already utiliyed many of them. And some of the details are so bold, I am sure you would recognize them straight away, like this, this or this one. Would repeating the same details make my clothes kind of boring? Perhaps it would, but besides you and me who would know I had the same or similar dresses before? So there you have it - you can expect to see some old - new garments soon over here.

Menwhile, here are several more models that caught my eye and that I would love to make. Some of them i definitely will!

Nov 6, 2014

Dear readers, Štepalica is evolving as a blog and I hope I'm taking it in the right direction that will bring me some great opportunities, and that will provide you some interesting and useful information.

Some time ago I was contacted by Serbian brunch of Elna, with a collaboration proposal. I have to admit I was rather excited about it and I couldn't wait for us to meet and discuss about possibilities of working together. So we thought of several ways we could join forces, but the most prominent one was having a column here on the blog, where I would write about different models of sewing machines they offer. The reviews would provide all the necessary information about numerous sewing machines that you minght find useful when buying one.

The reviews will be sponsored, but their contents will be written by me and according to my experience while using each of the machines. In order to make my writing as accurate as possible I will sew several items with each model, I will use each machine for at least a month and I will give my recommendations based on the experience I get during this time.

It will be especially interesting to me to try out the different models since I am used to working on an old machine that is almost my age, so I don't have much experience with sewing using more modern machines.

ELNA 120

What immediately intrigued me about this machine is that it's really light. I am used to the old full metal sewing machine, but it felt good being able to carry Elna 120 in one hand. This is especially conveninet when one doesn't have a sewing room and needs to frequently dismantle the machine and put it away after using it. I tested the machine during for a while, and made three shirts, two skirts, two dresses and curtains using it. I think I tested the machine thoroughly and I used all of the most commonly used operations.

Elna 120 has a very compact case which stores a basic set of equipment: seam ripper, bobins, pressing feet for sewing buttonholes, invisible zipper, serging, and blind stitching, and there is also a special plate for free motion embroidery and sewing. Stiches and their withth and length is easilly regulated by rotating corresponding buttons in the desired direction.

I have to add this machine comes with one needle only, and that's the thickest needle you can find, so I recommend buying a set of needles in all sizes.The needle can be set in two positions: central and left, which is great for determining the width of seam allowances or for easier access to the seamline. Also, the needle has two lifting positions for thinner and thicker fabrics. The machine supports sewing with two threads and a double needle, but this needle isn't included in the basic toolbox so you need to buy one additionally.

The machine has only one mode of sewing when it comes to setting the speed. If you are a beginner, there's no need to worry about this, the machine has a normal speed of sewing and the pedal is rather touch sensitive so you'll regulate the speed quite easily.

A great feature of this model is the sleeve arm that enables accessing a seam on narrow tubular items (like sleeves and legs). I haven't had a chance to try out the arm, but I can imagine how useful it would be when mending knee holes or attaching albow patches. Without the sleeve arm the sewing is so much more difficult and sometimes even impossible.

Elna 120 is rather quiet (especially when compared to my old machine), which is great when working. The machine runs smoothly, the engine is rther strong and can pull heavy fabrics quite easily, which makes the machine perfect for sewing thick fabrics like denim. When I was making a twill skirt, the machine ran smoothly even when stitching over 6 layers of thick twill.

What made me love this machine were the buttonholes. The sewing is done in 4 simple steps, using the special pressing foot, which enables making identical buttonholes with such an ease. Even if you make a mistake while making a buttonhole, it can be easily ripped of without destroying the fabric. I think I will miss Elna 120 mostly because of this feature.

The buttonhole pressing foot has an adjustable slider that determines the buttonhole's length. While testing the machine I realized the slider cannot be fixed in a position, which made making the buttonholes with the same length quite difficult. However, with a minor imporvisation this problem is easily resolved, so I made a short tutorial that will demonstrate my point. Place a piece of toothpick behind the slider and fix it in place using ia piece of adhesive tape. The piece of wood will serve as a stopper and will fix the slider in place, thus making the buttonholes that all have the same lenght.

The machine doesn't come with a suitcase, so I advise you to make a cover that you can make yourself.

The machine is heavily oiled, which is great for maintaining it. but the oil might stain your thread and fabric. Therefore I reocmmend testing the machine using a white thread and a piece of cloth and keep stitching until the tread becomes snow white.

The machine comes with detailed and illustrated user manual.

All in all, I think thi model is a great chioce for beginners, as well as for those who need a quality basic sewing machine for home sewing.

I've been rather quiet last few months. If I don't count several short posts I wrote back in May and June, I haven't blogged much and I've been feeling guilty about it. However, even though I wanted to keep writing, I haven't had the time to actively blog so I made an unplanned break from it. And I must admit I enjoyed it!

During February and March I promoted the Zlata skirt pattern, which exhausted me a lot, as I wrote two articles per day (one in English and the other in Serbian) with detailed sewing instructions. During the two months I was so busy I worked 8 hours a day on the blog, and then worked another shift at my day job. I kept the rhythm I barely could follow.

Along with promoting the pattern, my day job became more and more stressful, and there were days when I would barely handle the pressure. I couldn't get rest and I started striving for a change that would make my life easier and less stressful. I never thought the change (or should I say - few of them) would wait for me around the corner.

I will love it and squeeze it and call it George

The first change came unexpectedly during our short trip to Montenegro. D. and I went to the sea at the beginning of May, but the weather was rather cold and rainy. So, instead of swimming and sunbathing, we spent time sightseeing across the seashore. During one of the excursions we noticed a small furry ball at the highway that we almost run over. We stopped to take a look at it and realized it was a tiny little kitten few days old. It was completely helpless, all dirty and hungry, and it's mom couldn't be found anywhere. Who knows how this little thing ended up on the road and how many cars run by it?

It took us a second to decide to take the kitten with us and take care of it. We informed at the vet's on how to feed it, knowing there was a good chance the kitten would not survive without his mom's milk. However, this little mouse was a great fighter and we were very persistent, so the kitten grew fast. We called it Djole (Serbian equal to Geourge), as we were sure the kitten was male, but few months later we realized it was actually a female :).

Since she was so tiny when we found her, the first few months were busy with feeding her every two hours by day and night. We also had to keep her warm and tucked in all the time. Once she started wondering around the flat, we had a problem spotting her as she blended in with the yellow furniture and the khaki flooring.

Djole grew up into a true beauty. She's very playful and boy she likes to bite! She's six months old now, and she is a smart cat. I've never had a pet before, but now I can't imagine a day without my red-furred whirl. Djole is, like myself, thrilled by patterns, notions and fabrics, and we fight a lot over the sewing machine.

Belgrade - Stockholm

The second surprise came after we came home from Montenegro. At the time, my day job became very stressful. I frequently worked overtime hours, sometimes even during the weekends, trying to keep up with the work demands. I was additionally exhausted by the odd working hours, as I worked from 12AM - 8PM, which made organizing my free time almost impossible.

I did think of changing the job, but I never made a move in that direction. As it turned out, the job found me - I was offered to switch the company which had European working hours and better work conditions. I waited for the mid of August impatiently, as that was the time I officially started working there.

I went to a business trip to Stockholm, Sweden, shortly after I started working, and I stayed there 16 days. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures with me on them, but with such nice landscapes, who needs any other pics?

The new job came as a salvation and I hope it will provide enough time to get back to sewing and pattern drafting. I did come back from Stockholm two months ago and haven't written anything yet, but it took some time to adapt to a new rhythm. Currently, the greatest challenge is taking photos, as D. and I keep working in opposite shifts, and he has been my photographer in the last two years. But I'll find some solution that will work, as I have a lot of new stuff to show you.

Along with the changes I mentioned, there are some other new things I will talk about soon. Also, I owe you and my friend to finish the knotted dress, so I hope I'll have some new photos to show you soon.